Securing trim panel



Sept. 21, 1937. B c PLACE 2,093,734.

SECURING TRIM PANEL Original Filed June 25, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IIIIIIIEII-II W gwucmfom Z7 .5 1 954, WM

Wtmwp P 1937- B. c. PLACE SECURING TRIM PANEL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed June 25 m w LW /& 4, 9 a 4. 6 0 y f a a 7. P 3 C I l 7 fwvvv vva I M 7 7- 5 a a 5 1 y a J 2 a a2, 9 %W I Wan 6 Patented Sept. 21, 1937 UNITED STATES 2,093,734 sscuamc ram ram Bion 0. Place, Detroit, Mich, half to George E. Gagnier,

assignor of one- Detroit, Mich.

Original application June 25, 1936, Serial No. 87,291. Divided and this application October 14, 1936, Serial No. 105,597

2Claims.

This invention relates to novel fasteners for securing trim panels, such as automobile door panels, for example, to supporting frames. More particularly, the invention is concerned with types of spring fasteners that secure the panel to the frame by providing resilient tongue-like clamping elements that bear against the rear of the frame and serve to yieldingly hold the panel against the frame, rather than pass through openings in the frame that function as sockets for the reception of the shanks of the fasteners.

The primary purpose of the present invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive spring fastener, of the type that bears against the rear 16 of the frame, rather than penetrates it, which 25 snug engagement with the frame.

35 strip, which A still further object of the invention is to provide a spring fastener of elongated upwardly curved form having a unitary hook formed for convenient engagement with the foundation of i the panel after the latter has been completely constructed by flattening the curvature of the fastener.

This invention also aims to provide an elongated spring fastener in the form of an elongated has one end formed for ready engagement with a frame, a part providing a shoulder to prevent longitudinal movement of the fastener, and a hook-like projection to interlock the fastener to the panel through a recess therein.

40 This application is a. division of' application Serial Number 87,291, filed June 25, 1936.

Further objects of the invention will appear as a description thereof proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a transverse section of a frame, such as an automobile door frame, having a trim panel applied thereto, by means of fasteners of the present invention, the section being taken on he plane indicated by line l--i of Figure 2.

indicated by the line 2-4 in Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the plane indicated by line 3-4 Figure 2 is a vertical section taken on the plane in'Figure 2, looking in the direction of the ar-,

rows.

Figures 4 and 5 are respectively plan and side elevational views of the fastener utilized in the combination illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3.

Figures 6 and '7 are respectively plan and side elevational views of the modified form of fastener.

Figure 8 is a fragmentai sectional view as seen in Figure 3, but showing the mode of use of the modified form of fastener of Figures 6 and 'l.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary view showing a part of a trim panel having a further modified form of fastener applied thereto.

Figures 10 and 11 are sectional views taken on the planes indicated by the line iii-l l) and l l-l I in Figure 9, the sections being taken upon looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 12 is a fragmentary view showing a foundation having a still further modified form of fastener applied thereto.

Figures 13 and 14 are respectively sections taken on the lines l8--i8 and I|-l4 in Figure Figure 15 is a sectional view of a fragment 01'- 'a panel showing a still further modified form of fastener applied thereto.

Figures 16 and 1'7 are respectively plan and side views of a fastener constructed from a single piece of wire rather than from a band of sheet metal.

Like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several figures.

The fastener of the present invention is particularly designed to attach trim panels, such as panel I I), to a supporting frame, such as the frame It of'the door of an automobile, the trim panel serving to upholster the inside of the door. The frame H is provided with inturned flanges 12 disposed approximately normal to the plane of the outside of the door and further flanges l3 disposed in approximate parallelism with the outside plane of the door. The fasteners of this invention are designed to engage the flanges it of the door frame and clamp said flanges between the inside of the panel and tongues formed by the ends of the fasteners adjacent the margins of the papel.

Trim panel it comprises a foundation ll constructed of fibre board or the like, a fabric cover It of suitable finish material, which cover is lapped aroundthe edges of the foundation as is customary. Wadding It may be disposed between the foundation II and the fabric covering ll. Automobile trim panels are frequently con-' structed as lust brieflydescribed.

The fasteners designated as a whole by I! in Figures 1 and 2 are elongated in form and are secured to the foundation in a manner presently to be described after the trim panel has been completely constructed. The fasteners are secured to the foundation in such a manner as to leave the end of each fastener adjacent the margin of the panel free of attachment to the panel so that said end of the fastener, which is constructed of spring material, may be bent away from the foundation in opposition to the inherent resilience of the material from which the fastener is constructed. When the ends of the fasteners are bent away from the foundation, the flanges l3 of the door frame may be brought between said ends and the foundation or panel.

In applying the panel to the door frame, the fasteners-at the right hand side, for example, of the panel, are first engaged behind the flange I3, the panel being bodily shifted vertically away from the lower flange '13 so that the fasteners H at the bottom of the panel will clear said flange. After the fasteners have been engaged with the flange l3 at the right side of the panel, the body of the panel is flexed into the dotted line position illustrated in Figure 1 so that the free ends of the fasteners at the left hand side of the panel may be forced in back of the flange l3 at the left hand side of the door frame. The panel is then permitted to assume its original flat condition. Engagement of the fasteners at the bottom of the panel with the lower flange I3, viewed in Figure 2, is then brought about by Sliding the panel bodily downwardly to bring the free ends of the fastener I! at the bottom of the panel into engagement with the rear of the flange I3 at the bottom of the door frame. The panel is secured in final position by attaching a molding or garnish strip at the top of the panel (not shown) which will prevent movement of the panel in any direction and maintain it in fixed position on the frame of the door.

All of the fasteners presently to be described are adapted for use in securing trim panels to frames in the manner just described. It will be understood that the flanges l3 of the door frame need not be perforated for the reception of shanks of spring fasteners, now widely used in securing trim panels to automobile or similar frames. Problems of alignment of the fasteners with openings in the flanges are accordingly not presented when fasteners such as presently to be described are used, inasmuch as the spring tongues formed by the fasteners may engage the flange l3 at any point along the length thereof.

Now referring to the preferred form of fastener, and its mode of attachment to the foundation I4, illustrated in Figures 3, 4 and 5, it will be observed that the fastener includes an elongated sheet metal body IS, the ends I!) and 20 of which are curved upwardly. The main portion of the body 19 is bowed upwardly as clearly seen in Figure 5. The upwardly bowed portion carries a tongue 2| separated from the body of the fastener by slits or cuts, the tongue 2| comprising a downwardly extending portion 22 and a portion 23 disposed approximately at right angles to the portion 22 as clearly shown in Figure 5. The portions 22 and 23 form, in effect, a hook by. which the fastener is engaged upon the foundation after one side of the foundation has been covered.

In order that the fastener may be engaged with the foundation, the latter is provided with an opening 24 at every point at which a fastener is to be attached thereto. Disposed adjacent each opening 24 is a recess 25, preferably formed by indenting the foundation without penetrating the same. The fastener of Figures 4 and 5 is associated with the foundation by bringing the portion 23 opposite the opening 24, and then applying pressure in a direction to flatten the upwardly bowed portion of the body of the fastener, saidbody flattened until the hook formed by the portions 22 and 23 of the fastener is in a position to engage the inside 'of the foundation when the fastener is moved to the right, viewing Figure 3, until complete engagement of the hook is effected. In the final position of the fastener, the

round end formed by the upturned portion 20 engages in the notch 25, said engagement preventing shifting of the fastener during application of the panel to the frame of the door by preventing longitudinal movement of the fastener in a direction necessary to disengage the hook formed by the portion 23 from the foundation. Fasteners are applied along the three margins of the foundation in the manner just stated, and the panel is then applied to the door frame in accordance with the mode of procedure already described.

It will be observed that a firm interlock is provided between the fastener and the foundation inasmuch as when the hook is engaged with the foundation, the fastener is flattened from its normal position so that the body of the fastener exerts a pull on the hook maintaining it in firm frictional engagement with the inside of the foundation. At the same time the flattening of the upwardly bowed portion of the fastener serves to cause the free end 2| to very firmly bear upon the inside of the panel, and when the end [9 is separated from the foundation in forcing the flange l3 between the tongue formed by the end l9 and the'foundation, such separation causes a further flattening of the body and an increase in the tension set up in the spring of the body. As a result when the fasteners are engaged in back of the flange 23, they serve to hold the panel very firmly against the flange l3 and prevent movement of the panel with respect to the frame in any direction, inasmuch as the tension under which the fastener is placed serves to exert a force on the panel tending to draw it against the supporting frame. The panel is thus caused to lie flat against the frame regardless of slight irregularities in the panel or in the frame.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figures 6, '7 and 8, a fastener is disclosed in which the end thereof remote from the margin of the panel is provided with an inwardly turned portion 26 instead of the rounded upwardly turned end 20 characterizing the fastener of Figures 4 and 5. In the use of this fastener the foundation is provided with an opening 21 in transverse alignment with the opening 24 within which the hook 26 may engage, the opening 21 being used instead of the recess 25 in the form of the invention illustrated in Figure 3. of the invention presents a more positive engagement between the foundation preventing movement of the fastener in a direction necessary to disengage the hook, once it has been engaged with the foundation. In other respects the fastener of Figures 6 and 7 is like that of Figures 4 and 5.

In Figures 9, 10 and 11, a modified way of attaching or, interlocking the fastener to the foundation is disclosed. In this form of the invention, the foundation is unperforated, that is,

no openings passing completely therethrough are- The fastener of this formv formed therein. The fastener is attached by attaching to the foundation, at the points at which the fasteners are to be engaged therewith, staples 23 each having legs 29 which are driven through the foundation and preferably clinched on the inside thereof. The portion of the staple that connects the ends 29 is maintained in spaced relation to the outside of the foundation. Recesses 33, preferably formed by indenting the foundation opposite the staples, are also provided. The recesses 33 do not pass completely through the foundation as illustrated in Figure 10. In this form of the invention, the portion 23' cor responding to the portion '22 of the fastener before described is made shorter and the fastener engaged with the foundation by passing the portion 23' between the staple and the outside of the foundation; The fastener is moved in a direction normal to the margin of the panel until the end 23 engages in the recess 33, which prevents movement of the fastener in a direction to disengage the portion 23' from beneath the staple 28. In this form of invention, as in the previous forms, the bowed portion of the fastener is pressed downwardly in order to bring the portion 23' beneath the staple so that the body of the fastener is under tension when it is applied to the panel.

Another form of the invention is illustrated in Figures 12, 13 and 14 and comprises a sheet metal fastener having an elongated body 3! and upwardly turned ends 32 and 33. The body 3!! is upwardly bowed, the mid-portion of said upwardly bowed portion being offset downwardly as shown by 35. The fastener of this form-of the invention may be applied to the foundation by first applying to the foundation staples 35 having legs 36 and 3! that penetrate the foundation and preferably are clinched against, the inside thereof, the body of the staple 35 being maintained substantially spaced from the outside of the foundation M. The foundation is interlocked with the foundation M by passing it from one end under the body of the staple 35 until the offset portion 36 is opposite the staple. The pressure applied to flatten the fastener in passing it beneath the staple is then released and the body of the staple is seated in a transverse groove in the body of the fastener provided by the offset 34. In this manner the fastener is firmly interlocked to the panel and is incapable of becoming detached during the application of the panel to the frame in the manner alreadydescribed. F

A still further modification of the invention is illustrated in Figure 15 in which a fastener having a body of the form already described is pro vided with a depending portion 38 having a portion 39 disposed at right angles thereto and forming therewith a hook and an upwardly turned portion 40 at the end of the hook of the portion 39. In applying-the fastener just described to the foundation M, the latter is provided with openings 41 and 42, the portion 40 being brought into the opening 42 by bending the fastener into the dotted line position illustrated in Figure 15 and then permitting it' to resume its normally bowed condition sufficient to cause the portion wire, said ends 43 and 46 being each bent into bowed form. The mid-portion of the wire is bent inwardly between the ends 63 and M and into the form of a hook t5 corresponding in struc-, ture and function to the hook formed by portions 22 and 23 of the form of the invention first described. The fastener of Figures 16 and 17 is bent into the desired form and \the wire is then tempered to provide it with the desired resilience. The tips of the two ends 43 and M are preferably curved upwardly at $3 for convenient engagement with flange if.

The invention may be embodied in other speciflc forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description and all changes which coine within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United- States Letters Patent is:

. 1.'A spring fastener for securing a trim panel or the like against one side of a metal flange, comprising an elongated strip of resilient sheet metal having a substantial part of its length bowed'upwardly and having one end turned up to facilitate wedging of said flange between said end and the trim panel, the other end of said strip having a portion disposed angularly to the length of the strip to provide a. shoulder for engagement with the wall of a recess in said panel parallel to the edge of said flange to resist shifting of said strip in a longitudinal direction, and a hook-like tongue carried by the bowed portion of said strip and lying beneath said portion in spaced relation thereto to underlap the panel under a yielding pull exerted by said bowed portion and thus hold the strip from movement away from the panel when said flange is wedged between said first named end and the panel.

2. A spring fastener'for a trim panel comprising an elongated resilient strip of sheet metal having one end turned upwardly to engage a frame member, said strip being bowed upwardly through a part of its length and having an L- shaped portion depending from said bowed part and formed to be passed through a recess in said panel and'yieldingly underlap a part of said panel when said bowed portion of the strip is flattened, and an angular portion adjacent the other end of the strip to prevent longitudinal shifting of said strip.

I BION c. PLACE. 

